Research on Dementia and Home Design in Ireland
There are about 48,000 people with dementia in Ireland. This number is expected to double by 2031. Although about two-thirds of people with dementia are living in their own homes, there has been an absence to date in Ireland and internationally of design guidance for domestic dwellings for people with dementia, their families and carers. Aware of this gap, the National Disability Authority Centre of Excellence in Universal Design commissioned this collaborative research project combining expertise in dementia and in architecture.
The research was carried out by Trinity College Dublin’s Living with Dementia programme in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, and TrinityHaus in the School of Engineering.
The purpose of this 'Research for Dementia and Home Design in Ireland looking at New-Build and Retro-Fit Homes from a Universal Design Approach Key Findings and Recommendations Report' is to inform the development of design guidelines, to guide built environment professionals such as architects, planners, landscape architects, quantity surveyors, engineers and builders, as well as health service professionals, on how to produce dementia friendly new housing or to retro-fit people's existing homes using a Universal Design approach. The research involved engagement with built environment professionals, health service professionals, people with dementia, their families and carers, as well as drawing on the body of literature in the field.
